(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on September 23, 2010.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported solid gains in weekly rail traffic, with U.S. railroads posting the highest intermodal volume for 2010 and the highest container count on record. For the week ending Sept. 18, 2010, intermodal traffic on U.S. railroads totaled 240,013 trailers and containers, up 16.9 percent from the same week in 2009, and up 2.4 percent compared with 2008. Container volume last week increased 18.8 percent compared with 2009, and rose 11.4 percent compared with 2008. Trailer volume last week rose 6.5 percent compared with 2009, but dropped 30.8 percent compared with 2008.
U.S. railroads originated 304,679 carloads for the week, up 8.1 percent compared with the same week in 2009, but down 2.4 percent from the same week in 2008. In order to offer a complete picture of the progress in rail traffic, AAR reports 2010 weekly rail traffic with comparison weeks in both 2009 and 2008.
Seventeen of the 19 carload commodity groups increased from the comparable week in 2009 with only waste and scrap and non-metallic minerals, both down 3.3 percent, posting declines. Metallic ores, up 94.6 percent, led those commodity groups with increases from 2009. Compared with 2008, all but six commodity groups posted declines. Leaders among the groups posting increases from 2008 were farm products excluding grain, up 23.8 percent; chemicals, up 23.5 percent, and grain, up 20.5 percent.
Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 8.2 percent from last year, but down 9.1 percent from 2008. In the West, weekly carload volume was up 8 percent from last year and up 2.7 percent from two years ago.
For the first 37 weeks of 2010, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,527,927 carloads, up 7.1 percent from 2009, but down 12.4 percent from 2008, and 7,941,287 trailers or containers, up 14.6 percent from 2009, but down 4.7 percent from 2008.
Canadian railroads reported volume of 75,524 cars for the week, up 10.9 percent from last year, and 52,407 trailers or containers, up 14.4 percent from 2009. For the first 37 weeks of 2010, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,682,185 carloads, up 20 percent from last year, and 1,735,856 trailers or containers, up 15.8 percent from last year.
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 12,091 cars, up 11.7 percent from the same week last year, and 6,885 trailers or containers, up 10.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 37 weeks of 2010 was reported as 507,059 carloads, up 20.6 percent from last year; and 244,263 trailers or containers, up 28.8 percent.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 37 weeks of 2010 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 13,717,171 carloads, up 9.8 percent from last year, and 9,921,406 trailers and containers, up 15.1 percent from last year.